Winter Wonderland

Fireworks

Chapter 5.

One week has passed since Rachel moved in with Monica. It took Rachel a while to get used to her new life, but given the right dedication and help from her new friends, she had now settled down and even started her first real job as a waitress in Central Perk. It wasn't what she imagined her first job to be like, but it was still satisfying her enough at the moment. She needed an income whilst working towards her dream job, and Rachel didn't need to put in a lot of effort to get the waitress job because Gunther was thrilled to have an opportunity to spend time with her.

It had also been a week since she first met Ross, and Rachel's feelings have only grown. At first, Rachel couldn't identify what those feelings were because she had never felt time before.  After the night when Ross walked Rachel to her hotel, she was terrified about the fact that she felt such strong feelings and that caused her to avoid spending time with him. But at the same time, she was aware of the fact that the feelings she was experiencing, was beyond any other feeling she had felt before. And she knew that she wanted more of it. So now, after one week of struggling with her doubts and insecurities, she could honestly say that she has worked past her worries. She trusted herself and the feelings that have been growing inside of her. She was confident that what she was feeling only could lead to positive experiences. She wasn't afraid anymore. She was ready to follow her heart and find out what her feelings towards Ross could lead to. She was no longer afraid of love.

Ross, on the other hand, had started to doubt himself. Rachel had tried to avoid him for the past week and that made him miserable. He thought that after he walked her back to the hotel, they would only grow closer.
She kissed his cheek that night. Sure, it was only a kiss on the cheek, but it still meant so much to him. However, the next day when he was trying to talk to her, she was distant and he was confused by Rachel's actions. He was afraid that he had done something wrong that caused her to act that way.

.....

Rachel left her room wearing a long black dress and white sneakers. Her hair was falling loose on her shoulders and her make-up was light. Rachel has always preferred to keep things as simple and as natural as possible. She was holding a golden necklace in her hands as she approached Monica who was busy making lasagnas for tonight's dinner. It was New Year's eve and the group of six were going to have a fun night together celebrating.

"Hey, Mon, can you put this on for me please?" Rachel asked sweetly as she was standing by Monica's side in the kitchen.

"Rach, can't you see that I'm busy? And my hand are all greasy. These lasagnas need to be in the oven in 5 minutes if we want them to be ready for tonight!" Monica answered stressed as she continued to mix the ingredients. "Oh, and Ross called me, he's coming over in a few minutes."

Rachel lost herself in her thoughts. Maybe she could use this opportunity to talk to him. Tell him about her feelings. She couldn't avoid him any longer, she felt terrible about it. But she needed that time to figure out what she wanted.

Three loud knocks interrupted her thoughts and Ross walked thru the door.

"Hi Monica, hi Rachel," Ross said kissing his sister in the cheek. "Wow Monica, this looks delicious!"
"I know" Monica proudly answered.
Ross turned to Rachel. He had no idea how to greet her. This past week has left him unsure. Rachel was watching at Ross, debating whether or not she should hug him.

Ross noticed the necklace Rachel still was holding in her hand. "Do you need help with that?" Ross asked, pointing at her hand.
"Um, yeah... Sure... Thanks" Rachel nervously smiled while handing him the necklace. She turned around, facing her back against him. A few seconds later she felt how Ross gently grabbed her hair, brushing his fingers against her skin. The sensation of his touch made all hair on her body rise and she shivered. "Are you cold?" Ross asked noticing the goosebumps on her skin.
"Umm, yea..yeah... I'll grab my jumper later" she lied. She wasn't ready to tell him about her feelings yet. She needed time to prepare.
"All done" Ross ran his hands up and down her arms, creating warming friction, believing that she was cold. "That necklace is beautiful. It matches your eyes" he told Rachel with a lovingly smile. It was a gold necklace with an ocean-blue stone, it was her favourite. Rachel's heart melted. She had never met someone as adored and sweet as Ross. "Thank you" she smiled back at him.

"Guys, if you don't mind, can you please help me prep the table," Monica asked, breaking their moment.

....

The six friends had finished their delicious dinner and they were now playing twister.
Throughout the night, both Ross and Rachel have been sharing glances at each other. Both of them waiting for the right moment to talk to each other.

"Oh look, it is almost midnight!" Phoebe yelled excited, causing Chandler to fall. "Ha! You're out!" Joey pointed out. "Whatever, Thanks Phoebe," Chandler said annoyed, making the rest of them laugh.

"Let's watch the fireworks from the balcony"

They grabbed their coats and ran out on the balcony, eagerly awaiting the midnight to approach. Ross and Rachel were standing beside each other, nervously fiddling with their hands. They both knew what they wanted. They both knew that this was the moment they had been waiting for.

10, 9, 8, 7.......

They were all counting down. Rachel could feel Ross's eyes gazing at her. She wanted to kiss him. She was desperate for his touch. She locked her eyes with his and smiled sweetly at him, reassuring him that it was okay. She knew just by looking at him that he was desperate to kiss her too.

6, 5, 4.....

Ross's lips were getting closer and her heart decided to skip a beat, the smell of him hypnotic beyond reason. Rachel stood there, heart thumping in her chest, as their eyes were locked and their faces were inches apart. She couldn't control the flutter within, the lump in her throat, the violent heartbeat.

Ross swallowed hard and nervously grabbed Rachel by the waist. Adrenaline was rushing thru his body when he felt her warm breath on his face. So much of it that he nearly forgot how to breathe. His eyes were jumping from her lips to her eyes and his heart was at the moment a ticking bomb, ready to explode any second.

3, 2, 1.

Rachel parted her lips and felt him washing over like a wave of warmth and passion, curling her toes, as the taste of him silenced all her thoughts. The kiss was short and after a few seconds, their lips parted and they gazed at each other. Suddenly, Ross pulled her in, claiming her lips again, soft and gentle. Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him even closer.

Time stopped when her lips met his again and the fluttery feeling in her stomach only intensified. Rachel's heart pounded in her chest as her knees got weaker and weaker every second passing by. Everything became blurry and she could only focus on how soft he felt against her mouth, how addictively he invaded all her senses. She tightened her grip around his neck and ran her hands thru his dark brown hair. Her whole body tingled and the feeling of his frame pressed against hers as his arms wrapped around her felt forbidden. It still wasn't clear if she dreamed this moment to life, but there was raw emotion in the way his fingers tangled in her hair.

Ross smiled against Rachel's lips and kept his eyes half-open, sneaking a peek at her every time he came back for air, just to make sure that this wasn't a product of his imagination. He wasn't sure if nature rooted for this moment or if his mind was tricking him, but every breath he took smelled like vanilla, which reassured him that he was kissing her. The warm feeling of Rachel's breath sent shivers down his spine and her lips perfectly in sync with his own made his stomach twist into a knot.

This moment was perfect. They were standing on the balcony and hundreds of fireworks lighted up the pitch-dark midnight sky in different colours. Their friends were happily watching the scene in front of them but Ross and Rachel were still engaged in a passionate kiss as if no one else existed. No one but them.

"I hope that was okay?" Ross sweetly asked out of breath when their lips parted. Rachel felt Ross's hot breath on her face and before she could make sense of it all, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his warm embrace. He squeezed her and she gave into his chest. The smell that surrounded her made her dizzy as she pressed her face into his coat. Ross was burying his face in her hair, smiling, as he ran his hands all over her back in a smoothing motion. Rachel was stunned - at herself, at the feelings overpowering her consciousness, at the flavour of the foreign lips she found herself longing for. It took her a few seconds to realize what had just happened.

Rachel smiled.

"It was more than okay" she whispered back.

.......................

*Authors note*
YAY, chapter 5!

I hope you like this chapter! please let me know what you think! <33